The life and career of legendary comedian Andy Kaufman.The life and career of legendary comedian Andy Kaufman.The life and career of legendary comedian Andy Kaufman.
- Awards
- 5 wins & 25 nominations
Videos1
- Director
- Writers
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaOne day during production, a real medic was brought in to evaluate Jim Carrey after he turned up to the set with a bloody nose, claiming Tony Clifton had punched him out backstage.
- GoofsWell before his Saturday Night Live (1975) begins, Andy is seen doing his classic impression of "Mr. Carter, the president." Jimmy Carter was not yet even running for president at the time, and didn't get the office until halfway through the program's second season.
- Quotes
George Shapiro: Andy, you have to look inside and ask this question: who are you trying to entertain - the audience or yourself?
- Crazy creditsThe credits lists Tony Clifton as himself. Tony Clifton was a character created by Andy Kaufman, and was portrayed by Andy or Bob Zmuda in real life (and by Jim Carrey in the movie).
- Alternate versionsSeveral scenes were shot but cut. These include:
- The cast of Taxi rehearsing with a stand-in substituting for Andy.
- Andy responding to fan mail from some attractive girls.
- Andy taking a girl out on a date and acting so weird she asks to go home.
- After the Tony Clifton fiasco on the Taxi set, Andy calling Ed Weinberger and thanking him for playing along so convincingly.
- A scene backstage after Andy "hurts" his neck at the wrestling match where his worried parents come to see if he is okay.
- A scene towards the end of the movie at the Improv Club where Andy resurrects his Foreign Man routine and is "heckled" by Zmuda posing as an audience member.
- ConnectionsEdited into Funny or Die Presents...: Fifty Shades of DeVito (2018)
Top review
This is a story about a man who lived and died without being understood.
It is truly sad that we have to wait until a person is dead and gone to give him or her the honor they should have received while alive. Andy Kaufman was a man of many talents, and I saw him only as this funny little man on a TV show called, "Taxi" with a cute accent. Who could not fall in love with that person he was on "Taxi"? He was cute, honest, kind, and funny! Who knew that while we were all at home laughing, he was crying on the inside because that wasn't who he was, nor wanted to be. I went to see this movie about a person who was famous for his "Elvis" personation, and his little record player, doing the "Mighty Mouse" skit on Saturday Night Live, never to forget "Latka" on "Taxi." He was a man of many talents, so many that the world never knew about, so many that only Andy knew who he really was. Jim Carrey allowed us to come into Andy Kaufman's mind, and realize that this grown man lived in another place, another time, an entire other world where Andy was free, and there was peace, and where everyone never grew up, they stayed children playing "pretend" forever.
Jim Carrey put himself into this part, he lived this role... He was Andy Kaufman. Carrey was able to show me a whole new light on this man I thought I knew. This funny man who could make you laugh just by walking on stage. Jim Carrey showed us that who we saw, was not the man we thought we knew. And it took his death to show the world that Andy Kaufman was in fact a human being, who just needed a hug, and a chance at what he did best.
This sadness me to realize that our joy brought this man pain, who we wanted was not who he wanted to be, and I think everyone should be able to live the dream they choose. I never cry at movies, because I am able to pull myself back and remind myself that it is just a movie, and those are just actors. Jim was Andy, and what I saw was too true for me to tell myself, "It's only a movie."
This is a story about a man who lived and died without being understood. I cry for the person Carrey brought us into, the life he showed us that was hidden for too long. No one could have given Andy such a life as Carrey did. This movie is not a normal movie, it is art in the most beautiful form imaginable. To sit in a theater and be at aw... for two hours is amazing! I only wish we had known Andy Kaufman when he was truly alive. Now it is too late, the curtain has gone down...
Jim Carrey put himself into this part, he lived this role... He was Andy Kaufman. Carrey was able to show me a whole new light on this man I thought I knew. This funny man who could make you laugh just by walking on stage. Jim Carrey showed us that who we saw, was not the man we thought we knew. And it took his death to show the world that Andy Kaufman was in fact a human being, who just needed a hug, and a chance at what he did best.
This sadness me to realize that our joy brought this man pain, who we wanted was not who he wanted to be, and I think everyone should be able to live the dream they choose. I never cry at movies, because I am able to pull myself back and remind myself that it is just a movie, and those are just actors. Jim was Andy, and what I saw was too true for me to tell myself, "It's only a movie."
This is a story about a man who lived and died without being understood. I cry for the person Carrey brought us into, the life he showed us that was hidden for too long. No one could have given Andy such a life as Carrey did. This movie is not a normal movie, it is art in the most beautiful form imaginable. To sit in a theater and be at aw... for two hours is amazing! I only wish we had known Andy Kaufman when he was truly alive. Now it is too late, the curtain has gone down...
helpful•16534
- I Live 4 Movies
- Jan 5, 2000
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $82,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $34,607,430
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,515,585
- Dec 26, 1999
- Gross worldwide
- $47,434,430
- Runtime1 hour 58 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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